Teiglin frequently wears booties when it's cold outside and we've never had any sort of problem before, but today when we came inside I noticed that his dew claw was bleeding. It looks like part of it just snapped off! :yikes I had just clipped his claws earlier in the day, so it's not like they were really long or anything. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? Needless to say, I'm a bit worried now... :?

Lindsay

2nd February 2007, 10:33 PM

I think Momay has had the same problem.

http://cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7078

Coco's mom

2nd February 2007, 10:53 PM

Oh that's terrible! Poor boy. :( You'll need to take him to the vet to have the rest removed perhaps. :(

I know when I started to put boots on Coco, she once cried out. It was because her dew got stuck or pulled the wrong way. Again, her nail wasn't long either. I just had to be extra cautious putting on the boots so that the dew didn't get caught or pulled.

I think this is one reason some vets here and maybe in U.S. say it is a good idea to remove dew claws. They can get caught on things when they are running around outside, etc. and then they'll have to remove them. Seems cruel to remove a whole appendage, but if it really does get in the way... I don't know enough to form an opinion.

I hope Teiglin is okay. Coco wears Muttluks- it looks like your boy is wearing the same.

momay

9th February 2007, 04:39 PM

Hi!
Yes, we have had problems with Sofee's dew claws getting irritated when wearing the boots. Her paws seem to be the same width as her ankles, so the boots just don't stay on well unless they are pretty tight around her ankles.
I have tried 4 different pairs and have come up with a combo of one brand for the front and one for the back. Or course I don't have the names right now, but if you need them, I'd be happy to post them later today when I get home. :D
My husband asked about getting her dew claws removed also, but I need to do more research on this too. icon_nwunsure
Good luck with your boots. We live in New England so they are a must during the winter if we want to walk her, which we doing a few times a day at least. We are waiting for the warm weather to return!! 8)

arasara

9th February 2007, 04:59 PM

Kosmo still has his dews and we use muttluks. We have to be careful not to snag them but I generally will fold down the legging part and put in his paw and then fold it back up. It's hard to explain but it can be done.

waveyskies

9th February 2007, 05:10 PM

Teiglin is doing fine again- it was just a little bit of the nail that came off, but perhaps because I had just clipped the claw the quick was just that much closer to the end, resulting in the blood :( I'm not sure that I want to remove his dew claws, but if this happens again I might have to seriously consider it.
Momay, I would love to know what brands you found to work on different legs, thank you! Teiglin has had Muttluks and also a cheaper pair from the Co-op, that really stay on quite well but don't seem to last as well as the Muttluks.

Karlin

9th February 2007, 05:13 PM

There's also wax that can be put on the pads of their paws to protect them. It would seem a bit drastic to amputate something just so that a dog can wear bootees!! Most dogs do quite well in cold weather and snow without needing human-made footwear. This is a breed used sometimes for hunting in its heritage in a country that regularly -- especially in all the centuries up to this globally warmed one -- got snow. And no one put boots on dogs for all those centuries. At the height of cavalier popularity, the Charles II period, Europe was in the midst of a mini ice age as well! I also note the Icelandic cavaliers are not outside in booties in pics that I have seen -- and an Icelandic winter is a heck of a lot colder than anywhere in the US except Alaska. Why not just try the dogs without the boots?

arasara

9th February 2007, 05:18 PM

Karlin -

I'm kind of embarassed to say this but my dogs areWEINERS! :rotfl: They lift up their paws and cry after 3 minutes of being out in that snow. I guess maybe the difference is that our snow is really ice because it freezes so hard.. I don't know but they are too big of weiners to be able to go out barefoot. icon_blshing

waveyskies

9th February 2007, 05:34 PM

Teiglin is a wuss too! :? If it's below -10 C he wears boots if we're going to be outside more than a few minutes. If it's too cold he is miserable and just hops about on as few legs as possible. It's so bad that the first time he did that (before I even considered buying boots) I thought he must have really hurt himself! I've never been to Iceland, but I know that here in Canada even the dog sledders boot their dogs... brrr but that's a cold sport!

arasara

9th February 2007, 05:40 PM

Hey Jessica,

It's OK - at leats we are honest! :D

Also another benefit of booties is that they get out the salt and ice - which I know paw wax protects against but they also keep their feet dry - which is a big :w**h**: in my book!

momay

9th February 2007, 06:45 PM

Sofee can also join the wieners club. After 10 minutes she sits down and lifts up the front paws and won't go any further. If I take her back in, it's eternal ball playing all night to wear her out, so we have to do the walk! :p

Natalie

9th February 2007, 07:41 PM

your pups aren't whimps lady kept lifting her paws up when she went out for a wee yesterday and it was only like -2 but to be fair thats the coldest weather she's been out in. And on the plus side when it's cold she's super quick pees and then wants to come inside. She does get wet paws though i just make her stand on her bath towel and dry her paws before she runs around the house. She only tolerates this because she gets a treat straight after.

Scouty girl

9th February 2007, 08:11 PM

Scout runs outside in the fridged cold full force!! Sometimes I remember to put her little red coat on, but I think that's more for me than her. We've been outside before in single digits temperature and she acts like it's spring time. She never wants to come in. I think my Newf would laugh at her if I put little booties on her feet. She does however, tolerate her little red coat.

waveyskies

11th February 2007, 05:49 PM

Maybe our dogs aren't whimps after all! I just looked up the average temperatures in Iceland and Canada and just look at what I found!

Weather in Iceland

Contrary to popular belief, Iceland has very mild, coastal weather. The average summer temperature in Reykjavik, the capital, is 10.6°C/51°F in July, with average highs of 24.3°C/76°F. The average winter temperature in Reykjavik is similar to New York City's, about 0°C/32°F in January (average highs are 9.9°C/50°C). Usually the weather is very changeable.

The mild climate stems from the Gulf Stream, the warm ocean current from the Gulf of Mexico. The weather is also affected by the East Greenland polar current curving south-eastwards round the north and east coasts.

on the other hand,

Canada is the coldest country in the world: average all the daily temperature observations year-round and you get a chilling -5.6° C.

Me again, wondering what on earth I am doing in Canada! This winter hasn't been so bad, the worst we've had was -37 C... :roll:

Cathy Moon

11th February 2007, 11:59 PM

During this cold spell we've had in Ohio, I've had to carry India in twice (once in mid-poop!), because her feet started to hurt from the cold after only 3 minutes or so. I've noticed that Chocolate and Geordie have the sense to run out, do their business quickly, and run right back in. India wants to sniff around... :roll:

He gets out in the snow, and lifts up his legs and limps like he's injured. I'd bring him to the vet, but it is ONLY during snow. So I carry him in (I'm a sucker I know ... ) and then he's fine. We definitely need the booties here. :)

PhylB

12th February 2007, 03:16 AM

Our first Cavalier had her dewclaws removed before we got her, but not our second. We had Abby's dew claws removed at the same time as she was spayed and microchipped. She did not seem to be in pain in the least. The vet wrapped her up with gauze and tape, which lasted around two or three days, and once it fell off, she was fine. She never mouthed , licked, or chewed at them at all.

I weighed the pros and cons, and decided along with my vet to do it. I'm very happy that we did, and Abby is just fine :)